It is often desirable for display shipping containers to be converted to display trays at a retail point of sale, avoiding the need to unpack product from a shipping container and restack it in a separate display tray.
Previous display shipping containers may be opened by removing a tear strip embedded in the shipping container at the retail point of sale, allowing a portion of the container to be removed such that the product is displayed in the remaining portion of the container. One such shipping container is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,706,076 issued Apr. 12, 1955 to Guyer. Guyer discloses a container with a removable tear strip of cardboard encircling the container, the removal of which releases the top portion of the container. Such tear strips are problematic, however, because the cardboard does not always tear evenly, or rips off before being fully removed, requiring the use of a knife to finish opening the container. If a knife is used, product in the container may be damaged during opening. For example, the knife may inadvertently penetrate the packaged product during opening. Such damaged product may be useless to the retailer.
The use of tear strips is also problematic because removal of the tear strip often causes portions of the resulting display tray to be torn or otherwise damaged resulting in an unattractive display tray that is not suitable for displaying product at a retail point of sale. This may require the contents of the container to be removed and re-arranged, occupying valuable employee time.
Shipping display containers with tear strips may also be problematic because removing the tear strip may require the container to be turned, repositioned, rotated, or otherwise moved during opening, requiring additional space during the opening process. This is particularly problematic when the containers are arranged in stacks on a pallet at a wholesale style retail point of sale, where opening the containers could require the stack to be significantly re-arranged, occupying a significant amount of time by store employees.
Another problem with tear strips is that a relatively large amount of effort may be required to remove them because the tear strip is an embedded portion of the container. Furthermore, tear strips may be difficult to predict and may tear a substantial portion of the display tray.
An alternative to the tear type strip containers is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,784,271 issued Nov. 15, 1988 to Wosaba, II et al. There, the container is separated into two halves by a cut encircling the container. A piece of wide tape with an embedded filament holds the two halves together. Removing the filament separates the two halves, allowing the container to be opened to display product. Removal of the filament requires tearing through the wide tape, resulting in the display tray having an unattractive appearance due to the edges of torn wide tape which remain on the tray and are visible. Such unattractive display trays are not suitable for displaying product at a retail point of sale. Another problem with the container described in Wosaba, and other display shipping containers, is that the resulting display tray is not stable, especially if it is subjected to damp conditions, such as when a floor at the retail point of sale is mopped or otherwise exposed to dampness. Additionally, Wosaba, and other easy-open display shipping containers, do not facilitate the placement of high-impact graphics on the display tray, nor do they protect any graphics placed on the container.
It is important to retailers for a shipping container to be easily opened, without requiring a knife or other tools, but to also attractively display product at a retail point of sale once opened. It is also important to be able to include, and protect, graphics, such as advertisements, on the display portion of the tray. It is also important that the containers be openable, even when the containers are arranged tightly together, such as when the containers are stacked on a shipping pallet, without having to substantially re-arrange the containers for opening. It is also important to be able to subject containers to moisture without the containers losing a significant amount of structural integrity. Various embodiments and aspects according to the present invention promote or carry out one or more, sometimes combinations, of these aspects.